This invention relates to a protective cover for a handle lock, such as employed commonly on the closures of vending machines, coin changers, and similar machines.
A handle lock is an assembly of a handle housing, a closure handle, and locking means. The housing includes a tubular receptacle which extends into the closure when mounted, and a flange which projects laterally outwardly from the receptacle, for supporting the housing thereby on the outer surface of the closure. The closure handle includes a stem or body received in the receptacle, and a grip on the outer end of the stem for manual operation of the handle. The handle is movable inwardly and outwardly with respect to the housing, between an inner locked position wherein the grip is adjacent to the flange and an outer operating position. Locking means such as a cylinder lock is carried by the handle and cooperates in the locked position with means on the housing for locking the handle to the housing. A popular lock structure employs a "pop-out" rotatable handle, which is a handle spring-pressed to move outwardly from the housing when the locking means is unlocked or released from its engagement with the housing. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,122,012 and 3,089,329 illustrate handle locks of the foregoing description.
Owing to the nature of their structures, the handle housing and the closure handle are constructed by die casting and are relatively brittle. The flange of the housing includes a rim which projects outwardly to enclose a portion of the handle grip where it adjoins the housing in the locked position, in popular models. The locks have been defeated in the past by chipping away this rim, laterally inserting a prying tool behind the grip, and then prying on the grip to pry the handle away from the housing. The force exerted sheared a lock bolt forming part of the locking means. Also, projecting portions of the grip were engaged by a pulling tool, in an effort to pull the handle outwardly while shearing the lock bolt.
In an effort to prevent the handle locks from being defeated in the foregoing manner, a steel box has been installed around the housing flange and the handle grip of each lock for protection. A steel cover plate is hinged to one side of the box and serves an access opening at the face thereof. The cover plate is padlocked to the box when the handle lock is not being operated, for preventing access to the handle lock.
The foregoing protective structure has not proved to be completely effective, however. Persons intent on gaining unauthorized access to the locked machines have been able to remove the padlocks relatively easily, after which they have pried open the handle locks as before, there being ample space within the box to insert and operate a prying tool. Moreover, this system requires a second lock and key for each handle lock.